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Tuesday, September 19, 2017

UNESCO encourages protection of underwater cultural heritage

The United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has
encouraged the protection of underwater cultural heritage sites,
especially in Southeast Asia, through the ASEAN-UNESCO Conference.

The conference will be attended by delegates from 10 ASEAN countries, including Timor Leste.

"The conference will also be attended by experts from various countries such as Australia, Portugal, France, and others.

Experts from various disciplines, including law, history, and marine ecosystems, will take part in the conference.

"We want to protect the cultural heritage and create new business models for the region with tourism," he added.

The conference will provide recommendations on the protection of underwater cultural heritage to the government.

Meanwhile, Director of Cultural Heritage and Museum, Ministry of
Education and Culture, Harry Widianto, remarked that the activities,
jointly organized by the ASEAN Secretariat, the UNESCO Office Jakarta,
and the Ministry of Education and Culture of Indonesia, were efforts to
discuss the protection of underwater cultural heritage.

In Indonesia, the underwater cultural heritage sites are centered in
the Malacca Strait, the waters around Makassar, Halmahera, and Maluku.

He pointed out that these sites should be protected. Therefore, the
ministry cooperated with Police, Military, and the Maritime Security
Coordinating Board (Bakorkamla) to safeguard the cultural heritage
sites.

"The perpetrators of looting and destruction can be punished under
the existence of Law number 11 of 2010 on cultural heritage sites," he
concluded.(Antara)